Anyone want to trade me some Pliny for Heady-Topper? I can get Heady any time, but I've never seen Pliny for sale in Vermont. It would be interesting to try, though I'm kind of expecting it to be over-hyped.

Jafstl38 What state do you live in? there are ways to try it, though they aren't always legal. Pliny is somewhat difficult to obtain if you do not live in California (and for that matter it can be hard to get in California) thus the extra hype.

Elder is one of the few beers that lives up to its hype IMO, it is very very very good. There are competitors like Mercenary (Odell Brewing) and Scalpin (Ballast Point) and Hop Slam (Bells) all of which are very good beers. IPA's and Double IPA's are styles that are very dependent upon the drinkers preferences and tastes.

I do not think that Younger lives up to its astronomical expectations. Also good, but man; talk about small supply and epic demand.

"Any wheel size is better than sitting at a computer all day." -Myself

Pliny is far overhyped. I think its a phenomenal beer but nothing I'd go out of my way for. There are so many brews I'd put in front of Pliny and the fact I think Pliny is great just shows how much I appreciate other world class IPA's.

Now, if anyone wants to trade Heady Topper for anything Surly has out right now, sign me up!! I'll trade all day for Heady.

Yep.

I agree. Here in SoCal, PTE is pretty easy to get....meaning about 3 bars withing a 20 minute drive will have it most of the time. If I had to choose though, I'd much rather have a Dugana or a Sculpin. If anyone's been out to Long Beach, there's a BBQ spot called Beachwood that brews some amazing IPA's....some of the best I've ever had, IMO.
If I come across a bottle soon, I'll get in touch with you.

I agree. Here in SoCal, PTE is pretty easy to get....meaning about 3 bars withing a 20 minute drive will have it most of the time. If I had to choose though, I'd much rather have a Dugana or a Sculpin. If anyone's been out to Long Beach, there's a BBQ spot called Beachwood that brews some amazing IPA's....some of the best I've ever had, IMO.
If I come across a bottle soon, I'll get in touch with you.

Anyone want to trade me some Pliny for Heady-Topper? I can get Heady any time, but I've never seen Pliny for sale in Vermont. It would be interesting to try, though I'm kind of expecting it to be over-hyped.

There are quite a few over the top over-hopped Imperial IPAs that are ultra-sharp, very bitter, and just not forgiving. It's like drinking gasoline. There are a few that are full and rich and have a balanced flavor, despite having so much hops. You can build a race car for 50-60 grand that goes as fast or faster than a 911, but it won't have the total package like a 911 will, only the raw power and road-holding.

This is why I'm such a fan of Belgian abbeys, trippels and the like. So rich and flavorful, many times I'm blown away that a beer can taste like this. That's what I get from a Pliney.

"It's only when you stand over it, you know, when you physically stand over the bike, that then you say 'hey, I don't have much stand over height', you know"-T. Ellsworth

If you like your beer hoppy w/ citrus undertones Pliney the Elder is fantastic. I've acquired such a liking to this style of beer I have a hard time drinking anything else anymore. One you might also try that is similar is Stone's IPA, which should be available all over MO. and one that's going to be a lot harder to find, but if you're traveling you might look for Diamond Knot's Industrial IPA. The Holy Grail is getting you hands on Pliney the Younger.

I'm more than willing to trade for Heady or Pliny, can't really promise anything as good in return though :/
I can't believe that some would prefer Sculpin over it, Sculpin's one of the more overrated and overpriced IPA's out there(but still very good)in my opinion.

The best beer in the world is the one you are currently enjoying. End of story.

I'm with this guy!

I can get Pliny The Elder pretty much any time I want, and have only had it about half a dozen times. I just don't get in the mood for a Monster IPA that often. I tend to like more subtlety and balance.

Well, I finally got my first taste of the Elder tonight. Cost $7.50 per pint, only one pint per person. First time it has ever showed up in my town. I had to get it checked off my list, so I could get on with my beer drinking life already.

It was good, especially if you like your IPA's heavy on the pine and grapefruit rind. I can think of a few IPA's I've had that I would choose over the Elder, two IPA's from Boneyard and Hope Valley's Alpha Centauri DIPA off the top of my head. Basically, I won't go out of my way to get more Elder, but I thought it a fine beer.

I agree with Slow Danger. I had Elder on tap for the first time recently and thought it was good (rather smooth for a IIPA) but there are better ones out there if you're expecting uber hop nose and flavor.

Did they run out of just the bottles, or what they had on tap? They sound like awesome folks from the article and I wish them well.

I had my first taste of Pliny a few weekends ago, with an after-ride trip to the restaurant. Crazy busy, with the whole place packed like sardines. I'm not a fan of IPA's (so have tried to ignore the Pliny craze all these years, though I'd look for the bottles), but I brought home a growler of it. It was really really good, though I still don't like IPA's (and don't get how anyone who likes Pliny can dislike very flavorful German hefes).

Jafstl38 What state do you live in? there are ways to try it, though they aren't always legal. Pliny is somewhat difficult to obtain if you do not live in California (and for that matter it can be hard to get in California) thus the extra hype.

Elder is one of the few beers that lives up to its hype IMO, it is very very very good. There are competitors like Mercenary (Odell Brewing) and Scalpin (Ballast Point) and Hop Slam (Bells) all of which are very good beers. IPA's and Double IPA's are styles that are very dependent upon the drinkers preferences and tastes.

I do not think that Younger lives up to its astronomical expectations. Also good, but man; talk about small supply and epic demand.

I'm in St Louis, far away from Cali, we have some great micro breweries here though and obviously Budweiser, I've had Mycernary (amazing) and hopslam which was ok.

So here's a question. Obviously Pliny (like any IPA) is better the fresher it is. How old would you consider too old for Pliny to be?

I picked up a bottle in OR a month ago which was bottled Aug 5. I traded it to a friend the other day, apologizing for its age - but I'm not sure to what extent it will have degraded from fresh. I'm hoping it's still going to be delicious (probably has been consumed by now).

So here's a question. Obviously Pliny (like any IPA) is better the fresher it is. How old would you consider too old for Pliny to be?

I picked up a bottle in OR a month ago which was bottled Aug 5. I traded it to a friend the other day, apologizing for its age - but I'm not sure to what extent it will have degraded from fresh. I'm hoping it's still going to be delicious (probably has been consumed by now).

depends on how it was stored and handled. I would say the best the product will be is within 45 days of bottling, after that the hops start to die off, anything older than 6 months probably needs to be poured out.

Sorry RR, this is way better than Pliny. I am just bummed it was such a limited release.

Nice man! There are a bunch of Alpine IPAs I'd take over Pliny....

Originally Posted by LostBoyScout

So here's a question. Obviously Pliny (like any IPA) is better the fresher it is. How old would you consider too old for Pliny to be?

I picked up a bottle in OR a month ago which was bottled Aug 5. I traded it to a friend the other day, apologizing for its age - but I'm not sure to what extent it will have degraded from fresh. I'm hoping it's still going to be delicious (probably has been consumed by now).

Pliny will quite literally start to fall off after a month. Most seasoned beer drinkers can tell the difference side-by-side, but without the comparison Pliny will still taste great for a couple months after bottling. The problem is that all of the fruity, pungent aromatics start to fade and you're left with a beer that tastes less balanced and more bitter than when fresh.

Of course the fresher the better (I've bought Pliny locally that was bottled the day prior) but I'm sure your friend will still enjoy it two months later.